Beowulf Stars Make Videogame Debut

Anthony Hopkins and friends lend their images and voices to the Ubisoft game.

By Ryan Geddes

The stars of the upcoming Robert Zemeckis film Beowulf will also lend their acting talents to the companion videogame, under development at Ubisoft.

Academy Award-winning actor Anthony Hopkins and fellow Beowulf actors Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson and Sebastien Roche have all lent their voices and likenesses to the tie-in action game, which is scheduled for a Nov. 13 release in the U.S.

The movie also stars Angelina Jolie, but the globetrotting actress opted out of digitizing herself for the game. She won't be appearing visually or aurally in Beowulf, an Ubisoft spokesman said.

The game features exclusive content unexplored by the film, extending through 30 years of the Beowulf story. The roles of King Hrothgar, played by Hopkins; Beowulf, played by Ray Winstone; Wiglaf, played by Brendan Gleeson; and Wulfgar, played by Sebastien Roche; have been expanded and adapted to the interactive realm, Ubisoft said. Their in-game appearance in Beowulf is a first for all four stars.

Actor Ray Winstone (right) pwns at Beowulf. "I must say it was one of the hardest working days of my career," Winstone said of his Ubisoft voice-acting session. "But it was vital to capturing the power of the film and translating that into a great gaming experience. Beowulf is a brutal character, a Dark Age-gangster with both hero and monster in him ... as a player, I can identify with the monster slayer."

Beowulf is shaping up to be a monstrous partnership - the epic tale was adapted for the screen by Roger Avary and noted graphic novelist and author Neil Gaiman; the star-studded cast lent their images and voices to the virtual version; and the film and game share digital assets.

"The starring actors lend authenticity and intensity to The Beowulf video game experience, something that was indispensable in order for us to extend the story beyond the movie," said Gabrielle Shrager, writer and lead story designer for the Beowulf game. "The actors seamlessly translated their characters' depth and emotion, breathing life into their video game roles as they did for the film."

Beowulf is being developed for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and wireless phones.